When Michelle Taylor walked across the stage at December’s commencement ceremony to accept her master’s degree, she culminated a journey of more than 7,300 miles and three countries. And though she didn’t step foot on campus during her two years in the Master of Education in Teaching program, she felt strongly about attending graduation.

Kassy Alia turned her grief over the loss of her husband, a police officer shot in the line of duty, into a nonprofit that is changing her life and the lives of officers and marginalized communities around the state.

South Caroliniana Library is home to one of the country’s greatest collections of Southern history and manuscripts, a treasure trove for researchers that includes everything from Civil War diaries to textile-mill business records to historic South Carolina books and newspapers, photographs and architectural drawings.

The BARSC-MD program, a joint initiative between the University of South Carolina Honors College and the USC School of Medicine, allows a select group of students to complete an undergraduate degree and their medical degree in just seven years. The students receive conditional acceptance to medical school as freshmen, and then enter medical school after their third year of undergraduate coursework.

This month, Wendy Harriford Platt — a veteran teacher, mother, and daughter of a Carolina icon — will walk across the commencement stage to accept her doctorate degree in education with no regrets. Well, maybe just one regret — that her father will not be there to celebrate with her.

Gabriela Lena Frank, a Grammy Award-winning composer who made the Washington Post’s list of the 35 most significant women composers in history, will visit the School of Music next week for a series of events.

Inspired by the University of South Carolina's inclusive environment, donors Clark West and Elliott Mitchell agreed to establish a $500,000 endowment to support scholarships for USC School of Medicine students. West and Mitchell also established a $500,000 endowment to support scholarships for students attending associate degree-granting institutions in South Carolina who wish to transfer to one of the Palmetto State’s baccalaureate-granting colleges or universities, including USC.

Composer Nico Muhly is on campus this week for the world premiere of a new concerto and a residency with the School of Music. Muhly rarely does residencies in the United States, but he’s excited about working directly with music students at USC.

For the second year in a row, a University of South Carolina education alumnus has been named National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Lucas Clamp, who earned three degrees from the College of Education, is principal of River Bluff High School in Lexington.

As a youth transition specialist for Able South Carolina, a disability nonprofit that provides an array of independent living services, University of South Carolina graduate student Michael Hanna draws from his own experiences growing up with ADHD.

School of Medicine student Alison “Allie” Augsburger has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember, but working with her mentor and completing a prestigious summer program has helped focus her sights on the rigorous field of cardiothoracic surgery.

Researchers with the College of Engineering and Computing have created a new way to destroy cancer cells in two days. The research team — made up of electrical engineering professor Seongtae Bae, postdoc fellow Jung-tak Jang and undergrad (Eric) Sang Hoon Ju — uses a nanomaterial and an alternating current (AC) magnetic field generator to super heat the cells.

As director of the S.C. Rural Health Research Center since 2003 — and prior to that, as the center’s deputy director — Jan Probst has played an integral role in promoting the work of other investigators in public health, nursing, medicine and other disciplines.

Over the last few years the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine has doubled its summer research opportunities for rising second-year medical students. This year more than half of the Class of 2021 (M.D.) applied for the program, and 24 students are currently completing research experiences in clinical and translational research.

Storytelling is how we make sense of our world. Whether we’re scientists, mathematicians, poets or preachers, we tell ourselves stories to understand the world around us. The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program helps hone this natural talent into a craft — a craft that turns stories into art.

Seth Howell, former Air Force pilot and recent University of South Carolina School of Medicine graduate, credits his family — especially his wife — with his success in med school. The Jefferson, S.C., native hopes to practice in a rural location after completing his residency.

When Mitzi Nagarkatti joined the School of Medicine as chair of pathology, microbiology and immunology in 2005, the department was bringing in about $600,000 a year in NIH funding, 81st among all such departments across the nation. The department now garners some $9.5 million per year in NIH grants (No. 17 in the country) and Nagarkatti continues to build research capacity not only in that unit but in the entire School of Medicine and across the university.

The staff of the SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare at the USC School of Medicine is working to improve access to care in rural South Carolina. Created with state funding in 2017, the center has a number of initiatives underway, including a loan program to encourage health profession students to practice in rural settings, research grant programs and partnerships helping put providers on the ground in critical need areas.

University of South Carolina College of Education alumna and Pelion High School assistant principal, Erica Page, was named the 2018 National Assistant Principal of the Year. Though not a South Carolina native, Page began her career in education a decade ago in Lexington County after an adventurous 650-mile move south.

Though the College of Education is graduating an increasing number of science and math educators, the state – and nation – is still in desperate need of these teachers. To encourage more students to considering teaching science and math, Carolina is offering top students scholarships which are funded by a National Science Foundation grant program.

Eighty-three School of Medicine students will learn the results of their residency interviews during Match Day at The Zone on March 16. The event is the culmination of four years of medical school, and the results will determine where the students will spend the next three to seven years of their lives training in their chosen specialty.

Associate professor of marketing David Crockett understands the importance of mentoring. He was awarded the Williams-Qualls-Spratlen Multicultural Mentoring Award of Excellence from the American Marketing Association for his role mentoring students who have been traditionally underrepresented in academia.

Students, faculty members and alumni from the USC School of Medicine are making a difference in the Midlands by volunteering at two local free medical clinics. Students also work to support The Free Medical Clinic financially through the Black Tie White Coat Gala, an annual fundraising event.

Victor Kidd is the first African-American doctoral student in the University of South Carolina’s sport and entertainment management Ph.D. program. He is also the first student overall from his program to win a SPARC grant — a merit-based grant designed to ignite research and creative excellence.

Tommy Coggins directs the Office of Sponsored Award Management, talks about the role his office plays in assisting faculty members searching for funding and how faculty can improve their chances of bringing in big grants.

Kristal Tribble and Tina Williamson enrolled in Carolina's online RN to BSN program thinking it would be a solitary endeavor. Instead, they found community and friendship, and the pair are now pursuing the College of Nursing's online master's of nursing program together.

Christopher Wach planned to make a career in military, but injuries sustained in Afghanistan earned him two Purple Hearts and a medical discharge. He was able to find a second home and a new career path at the University of South Carolina.

A cherished, childhood friendship led Tori Vaeth to study special education at the University of South Carolina. Now, the College of Education double alumna is leading a program that’s training and placing young adults with intellectual disabilities in rewarding careers.

The School of Medicine’s new Research Center for Transforming Health will provide a hub that makes it easier for basic science researchers and clinical researchers to come together to work on projects that can improve the health of South Carolinians.

The University of South Carolina’s sport science programs are ranked No. 1 in the United States for the second year in a row, and No. 4 in the world by ShanghaiRanking's 2017 Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.

Former Hootie & the Blowfish tour manager Paul Graham has been a star in the sport and entertainment management field for decades. Recently, he has also been simultaneously a teacher and a student at USC and will claim his master's degree this month.

University of South Carolina College of Education alumnus and Chapin High School principal, Akil Ross, was named the 2018 National Principal of the Year on Friday, October 20. The honor is the culmination of a passionate career as an educator that began just a few miles away from our campus 16 years ago.

For the 21st year, faculty and students at the University of South Carolina will spend a day at the fair with 2,500 high school students from every corner of the state, helping them understand more about physics – while learning to be better teachers themselves.

At just 6 years old, Noella “Binda” Niati was forced to flee her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo, amid intense violence and political upheaval. More than two decades later, she is headed back to Africa to study ways to encourage children, especially girls, to stay in school longer.

Education professor Rhonda Jeffries and graduate student Hope Reed wanted to close the achievement gap for underrepresented students, specifically those tracked to be in remedial classes. So, they took a risk with a group of freshman students at Blythewood High School and conducted a secret experiment of sorts that proved to be powerful.

As a Carolina pharmacy student, David Foreman ’87 never anticipated he would venture far from the traditional drugstore. But after a family member sparked his interest in natural products, he followed his passion and became a go-to national expert in the field.

Raised by a Cuban father and Colombian mother in Boston, Massachusetts, Julia López-Robertson experienced first-hand the challenges that come with being a member of an underrepresented population in America. Now as a professor in the College of Education, she is helping other Latino families through her research and outreach.

The University of South Carolina has named Sarah Gehlert as the dean of the College of Social Work. Gehlert comes to Carolina from Washington University in St. Louis, where she was the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity.

A self-proclaimed “outdoorsy” person, Todd Beasley started his own small business at just 10 years old gardening for other families in his neighborhood. Now three decades later, the College of Education alumnus is the new director of programs at one of the largest botanical gardens in the country — the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.

The University of South Carolina’s nationally-renowned Arnold School of Public Health will open a satellite program in Greenville focused on research and education that tackles some of South Carolina’s most pressing health needs. The expansion will allow students to receive graduate-level education at the intersection of public health and clinical medicine and conduct cutting-edge research into solutions to public health problems.

The University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business once again claimed the No. 1 ranking for its International MBA program in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools publication.

Yellow fever patients in Charleston died by the hundreds in the mid-19th century. "Black Medicine White Bodies," a new exhibit at McKissick Museum shows how traditional treatments saved people during the epidemics that plagued the Lowcountry.

The Office of Research will host the S.C. Flood Conference Oct. 7 to release results from 34 flood-related projects. Researchers from academic disciplines across the university studied last year's historic floods, and how to prepare for and lessen the damage from future storms.

Training nurses is no easy task. Yes, students need to absorb medical information and learn procedures — but soft skills like communication and diplomacy are important, too. Luckily for students, Clinical Practice Teaching Award winner Selina Hunt McKinney has thought long and hard about how to prepare nurses for the world beyond the classroom.

Aaron Provence’s doctoral research in the South Carolina College of Pharmacy might be focused on a very specific disorder, overactive bladder, but he hopes that the insight he’s gaining as a research scientist might have even wider medical impact.

The School of Medicine has welcomed Amy M. Allen, M.H.S, Ed.S, PA-C, as the founding director of the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Program. She also holds a clinical faculty appointment in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.

Influenced by the likes of opera stars Leontyne Price and Kathleen Battle, USC music student Valencia Callens has high standards. But the master of music in theatre performance is undaunted by the challenge. Callens will showcase what’s she’s learned at Carolina this weekend when performs in “Speed Dating Tonight!” presented by Opera at USC in the School of Music recital hall.

The University of South Carolina’s online graduate program in nursing started 15 years ago. The curriculum was one of the first online programs the university offered, targeting working nurses who wanted to join the ranks of nurse leaders, conduct research and teach. We sat down with College of Nursing Dean Jeannette Andrews to discuss the program's success and plans for the future.